To speak of Silvestre Pejac is to refer not only to street art, but also to a master of optical illusion. Pejac allows to open a dialogue to the criticism of the current situation of the world. With an endless number of techniques and styles, from painting to installations, videos and sculptures. His works can be found not only in the streets but also in international galleries. Pejac is an artist who is known by many as the “Spanish Banksy”. His murals in the streets and his interventions in the public space have generated a great social impact. It is true that both Pejac and Banksy allude to art as a form of protest. However, the distinctive point for Pejac lies in the surrealism and implicit poetry that surrounds each of his works.
Something characteristic of Pejac is the undeniable social charge that his works exude. Each one of them reflects the artist’s concerns regarding social, political and environmental conditions. His works vary according to the context and place in which they are found. Pejac often arrives in a country with a preconceived idea in mind. However, when he gets directly involved, the initial idea undergoes a metamorphosis and transforms until it reaches its final state.
Pejac’s most recent contributions generate dialogues among the people
A clear example of the artist’s careful study is evident in one of his most recent works made in collaboration with the NGO Sea-Watch. The work is called LANDLESS STRANDED (2021). It is on display in the city of Berlin from October 20, 2021 until December 31, 2021. This work in the words of the artist is about “All the people who, even on land, feel adrift”. It is an installation that is located in the dome of the neo-Gothic church of the Holy Cross. There stands a sculpture of a child with a life jacket and a smoking flare calling for help. It refers to the distressing situation of refugees and the migration crisis in the country. Inviting people to raise their eyes and open a dialogue about problems that are hidden behind the screens of a newscast.
On the other hand, his latest exhibition APNEA (2021) is the artist’s largest compilation to date. It consists of forty-five works that were born during the period of isolation. Pejac says that for him the creation of this work represented breathing again during the period when the world was holding its breath. His works convey a critique of environmental and social ills through poetic figures. The exhibition invites the public to open a dialogue and recapitulate what they experienced during the pandemic. To question the supposed normality in which we live and its often harmful effects on society.
The importance of the environment and materials
Pejac is undoubtedly an artist who cannot be pigeonholed under one style due to his different visual languages, techniques and unconventional materials. Moreover, the poetics and impact of his works lie in part in the complexity of his tools. The process becomes part of the work. As seen in his work SWEET WORLD (2021), where he uses cardboard as a canvas. On it, he draws a map of the world and then tears it to represent its fragility. Pejac conveys his concerns about the direction of the planet in a creative and unconventional way. He often makes reference to renowned artists in his works. Such is the case of Rodin in his paintings THE RE-THINKER (2015) and COUNTERWEIGHT (2021).
The impact that Pejac generates allows to open a dialogue to question current events and to re-configure the normality in which we live. Other contemporary artists who similarly make people talk about the current situation of the planet are Ruth Wallen and Marina DeBris.
